When IT is awake, others can sleep well

DELHI, INDIA: Ironically enough, Sleepwell brand’s custodians, specially from the IT family, seem to be early birds when it comes to choosing, picking and balancing the precise formula of IT. Apparently not only guaranteeing a good night’s sleep for the usually wasteful firefighting but also doing something much more important. Giving business the right posture, every time.

The business-savvy juggling and knitting skills stand out all the more in case of Pertisth Mankotia, Head IT, Sheela Foam (Sleepwell) when many others are struggling with what looks like a modern-art Eisensteinian version of IT- a colorful mosaic with completely incompatible pieces. Pertisth on the contrary, is using radical and seemingly disparate threads like RFID, BI, humility, creativity and first-hand grip over business to weave together a phenomenally successful fabric of IT.  As he proves, IT can be more than a high-brow montage. It can be a simple but comfortable granny’s quilt that always works wonders. Here’s how:

How are you using technology for an industry like yours? Apart from the usual IT pieces?

 We have recently invested on RFID for tracking the mattresses. Now each mattress can be traced at Distributor, Dealer and with customer after years altogether. It will help in stock taking, controlling unauthorized selling, and also finding out the mattress age at the time of customer complaints.  We have also taken the Business intelligence capabilities to the distributor level. Now all our large distributors (approx. 50 plus) can analyze their market potential on the move by using Smart Phones or Tablets.

What’s the plan on taking this forward for the coming future?

This year we will focus on connecting our about 300 Exclusive Dealers (Sleepwell World) directly with our company. This step will bring uniformity in over 300 independent businesses.

You have always been a practically-proactive proponent of IT as a competitive differentiator and business value centre than just a support function. What’s your formula in achieving those standards?

We always think first on the business solution and then look at technology. In most companies IT is not at front line. But in our organization, we are at the front line always. We want to touch and impact every function. So far we have seen how IT can make the distance between manufacturing and distribution shorter and the reach faster. Now we want to touch the next level of distance, between distribution and the end-customer.

A CIO can really make a lot of impact then?

Yes, it’s simple. Take a humble road to success. A CIO needs to get involved in transforming business culture into creativity and Innovation on technology grounds, as he is the only one who best understands the user as well as business processes. A CIO is capable of bringing speed and innovation to the business. A CIO’s job takes him into work area of many function heads and every time he has to get past conflicting egos. Being humble and crediting others can help in dealing with such situations.